Washington, 20 November 2013

Newsroom

A new EY study released today shows that corporate capital expansion plans are likely to drive tax credits & incentives (C&I) activity. Nearly seven out of 10 executives — 68% — expect their companies to pursue moderate to aggressive capital expansion over the next 24 months. As companies accelerate their capital spending, there is a commensurate increase in the likely benefits of exploring C&I opportunities since capital-intensive projects are often the most likely to benefit from C&I.

The study is based on a combination of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews. The survey, conducted in July 2013, was completed by 797 primarily tax and finance executives from Fortune 1000 businesses. Interviews were conducted with EY C&I professionals with both US and global mandates in September 2013. It is the second of a bi-annual survey, first launched in 2011 to measure C&I activity level, C-suite focus, allocation of resources, and to better understand barriers companies face with their C&I initiatives.

“More organizations are paying attention to these opportunities,” said Ali Master, Partner and National Director of Business Incentives & Tax Credits, Ernst & Young LLP. “As companies become more aware of C&I, they assume a better position for reaping the rewards. According to the survey 42% of respondents, say that over the past two years, they have been more active in pursuing business incentives.”

However, the C-suite shows a low level of awareness and involvement in pursuing C&I opportunities. Only 16% of survey respondents say their C-suite is “very” aware of the potential benefits from business incentives. Meanwhile, 36% say their C-suite is merely somewhat aware and 20% indicate their C-suite is not at all aware of their organizations’ C&I strategies. In contrast, 28% say their most senior executives are either more aware than in the past two years or are beginning to focus on these opportunities more so than in the past two years.

A key trend uncovered by the survey is the emergence of a small but significant group of almost 60 companies (eight percent) that consider themselves as being “very active” when it came to capturing C&I. In fact, this group of “front-runner” companies said that they had a department focused on C&I with a “coordinated process at all levels” to maximize the capture of C&I. When comparing the behaviors of these front-runner companies to others, their activity, inter-departmental collaboration, dedicated resources and C&I program participation levels are all markedly higher than their peers. For example, only 24% of companies describe their C&I efforts as “collaborative”, compared to 60% among the front-runner companies.

Most companies, 83%, devote one full-time equivalent (FTE) or less to C&I initiatives. By comparison, 61% of these front-runner companies devote at least one or more FTE to such issues. As a result, front-runner companies also tend to derive greater benefit across a wide range of both statutory and negotiated or discretionary C&I opportunities. These include tax abatements, enterprise zone credits, job training credits or sustainability credits.

“Companies interested in obtaining greater value from C&I should emulate the organizations in the survey that clearly emerged as the front-runners in creating a business advantage through the use of credits and incentives,” said Master.

Finally, the total pool of available C&I is also increasing, presenting worldwide opportunities for companies. Expansion of such programs is not uniform — not all jurisdictions are active — but the trend is toward more, not less. Competition is global, with local, regional and national governments actively courting new businesses and working to retain or expand existing businesses. In such instances, the size of total incentives packages is growing, and there is a greater willingness and flexibility to work with businesses to develop the appropriate combination of incentives.

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member firm of EY serving clients in the US.

Archived press releases

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.